Douceur is best for light to medium skin tones, as it seems like it will disappear on darker complexions. It might work as a subtle highlight or all-over powder on some deeper skin tones. I’m a huge fan of this type of blush, because it gives natural color and contour to the cheek in a subtle way. I often reach for Korres Natural for this purpose, and Douceur can be used in the same fashion. Finding a blush color like this that works for your skin tone can be challenging, because like a my-lips-but-better color, one size doesn’t fit all (or even most).

This is certainly a softer color. It’s one of the sheerer NARS blushes I’ve swatched so far. The color isn’t easily buildable; there’s no need to be careful with this one–you don’t need a light-hand at all. It is very easy to use because of that, making it one of the more foolproof blushes. On lighter complexions, this could be used as a contouring color. The texture is soft and blendable on the skin, but I did feel like I had to pile it on a bit to get it to show up on my skin tone. The color payoff is on the sheerer side. Douceur wore six and a half hours on me when I was trialing it, and it was noticeably faded after seven hours.

P.S. — I did write review Douceur previously (two years ago–wow, I swear this came out “recently!” Time really does fly!

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This looks lovely on you, Christine! I’m so undecided on this one. I think it might be a bit redundant considering I have Madly. I don’t knooowww! I keep wanting to get a softer, more understated blush like Douceur or Sex Appeal, but I never know if I will like them. I’m about NC20-25; the lightest blushes I own are Benefit’s Dandelion and Georgia, and I never seem to use either one. I *really* can’t stand Georgia because I get nothing from it. Know of any blushes that are understated with no shimmer, but still show some sort of hint of color?

I need to try this again. For some reason, the first time I did, I put it on the contour lol instead of the cheek, and it didn’t show up and the saleslady ended up selling me Laguna because she thought I wanted a bronzer. I didn’t, but I ended up with one. I already have MAC Mocha and Blushbaby and I just ordered Tarte Exposed, so I don’t think I need another beige/brown blush with rosy undertones though. Is it advisable anyway?

Incredible how different this looks on you than me, Christine despite me thinking we have similar colouring. This comes up more muted rosy on me and less brown, but I definitely do not have cool undertones. This is another Nars blush in my collection and it’s another one of the neutral shades I reach for often. It’s very much a chameleon colour and will suit any skin tone in the light/medium range IMO.

I love Douceur (it’s the only blush that I’ve ever used up in its entirety), but ended up buying Tarte’s Exposed to replace it. Douceur is gorgeous, but I found it faded too much as the day went on. I’m curious to try Neopolitan Lane!

[email protected] How do you rate Tarte Exposed vs NARS Douceur? I tried to compare them at Sephora a while back but the lighting was terrible. Like @Christine said, I had trouble building them up to properly swatch them on my arm; however, things could have been different had I tried them on my face.

[email protected] I find that Exposed builds up slightly easier than Douceur and it lasts a bit longer. I’ve worn both at the same time (one on each cheek) and the small shade differences between them aren’t really noticeable when applied. Exposed is a bit pinker in tone, but that’s only discernible if you’re really looking closely. Neither last all day though – Christine’s wear time was similar to mine (around 6 hours for Douceur, and 8 for Exposed). Both are beautiful blushes, but Exposed is the winner in my opinion because of its longevity.

With all due respect, this ranking doesn’t make any sense. You explicitly state it’s a sheerer color upon application and then downgrade it a full THREE points because after 6 1/2 hours, it’s not visible on the skin? What exactly gets 10/10 for longevity? Spray paint?

Color payoff isn’t the same as longevity – if it starts off visible and then disappears, it’s wearing away, whether it’s opaque or sheer. If an opaque blush fades away, it doesn’t get 10/10 for longevity either – I consider where it started and where it ended up after a certain period of time. It’s not about the payoff when it’s being judged for how long and well it wears – it’s about whether there’s been fading, separation, migration, etc. There are blushes in the past that have received 10/10 – feel free to browse the category 🙂

[email protected] (Temptalia) That’s a much more courteous, considered response than that comment deserved, Christine.

And yes, colour intensity and longevity are two different concepts. I’ve worn sheer blushes that lasted very well (Shu Uemura in a buff shade) and opaque blushes that faded much faster (NARS Exhibit A). I didn’t necessarily mind the fading, but it’s good to be informed.

I’ve heard SO many rave reviews for this, Tarina Tarantino’s Neopolitan Lane, and Tarte Exposed and have been going back and forth on which one to try, but now I think I will definitely go with Douceur. I really like a sheerer formula since I can get a bit heavy-handed with my cheek products. I love the soft color